Grimes Family Vacation
by We'reTheOnesWhoWrite
Summary: It's break time for the Grimes family, so a road trip is in order. Sing alongs, rockets and a little secret will make this vacation out of this world.
1. Chapter 1

Starting us off on the Grimes family road trip with the first chapter is **sophiasown**, and with her, she brings a sweetness to the Grimes 2.0 that we all know and love. While both Rick and Michonne are more than ready for their vacation, Michonne has some news to share...

Be sure to check out her other stories on her FF page.

**-We're The Ones Who Write**

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

The house was too quiet for Michonne's liking, she was too exhausted to see what each of her children were up to at the moment. She took off early from work, grateful for the couple days vacation she had been granted. She couldn't help but smile as she left work that afternoon. She wasn't leaving any pending cases behind, her caseload was in the all clear. Her shoulders were light and her mind was carefree. She sealed another bowl of fruit, this one was for the effervescent Judith Grimes; she preferred her fruits separated by color code. Her baby boy Andre loved when they were all thrown in together, creating a fruit fiesta. Carl was neither here nor there with fruit consumption, as long as there was a lifetime supply of oreos and milk her budding teenager was a happy camper. She hoped he didn't realize she had been dipping into his stash as of late.

The television was still on blast, she figured Carl was watching a movie, although she was one hundred percent certain that he also had his headphones in his ears, vibing to whatever band was trending. The clock above the fridge read six forty five. Rick would be home soon, bringing smiles to everyone in the Grimes household and an end to the quiet time she had been basking in.

She heard Judith and Andre's busy footsteps coming down the stairs, despite their three year age gap the two often played together. They had been a blended family for five years now but they had known each other longer than that as they had been neighbors for a few years prior. Fate had brought the five of them together one stormy night. They hadn't been separated since. Meeting Rick felt like winning the lotto, but when she realized how much she had fallen for his kids she realized she was already the richest woman in the world.

"Mom, can I pack my slingshot for our trip?" Eight year old Andre was attached to his birthday present from his uncle Daryl; a slingshot that never left his hands once he got home from school.

"Peanut, astronaut's don't use slingshots."

"Can I see Wakanda from the space center mommy?" Judith asked taking a juice box from the refrigerator. Ever since she saw the Black Panther movie her growing girl was taken up with the fictional world of Wakanda. Michonne informed Judith on a few occasions that Wakanda was not a real place but Judith, who had a mind of her own insisted it was real.

"If Judith is going to see Wakanda on our vacation, then can I please carry my slingshot mom?" Andre's voice had taken on that tone that suggested if he didn't get what he wanted he wasn't going to be a happy camper.

Michonne, who was too tired to rationalize with her never backing down eight year old son,surrendered to her latest and greatest shenanigan to end a debate.

"Ask your dad."

"Ask dad what?" Rick said, walking through the kitchen door surprising them all.

"Daddy!" Judith was the first to run to his waiting arms in greeting.

"Hi sweetheart." He gave her a loud smack on the cheek and took four short steps to give Michonne a chaste kiss on her lips.

"I didn't hear you come in." Michonne was all smiles, so were the kids as Rick gave both Andre and Judith some individual attention. Andre was about to dive into a well thought out speech on the pros of why he should be allowed to take his prized possession on their trip.

"Where's the big one?" Rick asked.

"In the TV room."

"Dinner is almost done." Michonne already finished stir fried veggies and seasoned potatoes, the chicken she had baking in the oven was almost a perfected golden brown.

"Smells great" Rick said, walking up behind her as she checked on the chicken one more time. Rick's arms went around her tiny waist, he kissed her neck, breathing her in. Judith and her brother had run off to get their older brother for dinner.

"It's official you know."

"What is?" she asked leaning into his unabashed affection.

"We're on vacation."

A bit of juggling had to be done to get their time off synchronized, but the timing had been right for the family to spend some time together. The kids were on the tail end of school break. The first month had been hectic, full of summer activity and extra lessons to help ensure they stay on top of their academics, even with the closure of school. Michonne knew the kids worked hard and she had no complaints about their focus during school time. The break was well deserved all around.

She and Rick brainstormed numerous nights on where they could go once they agreed a family getaway was happening. Judith was still on her Wakanda and Hidden Figures movie high. The empowering pieces had helped her girl appreciate the importance of math. Added to her Wakanda love, she was newly obsessed with everything space; she wanted to be just like Katherine.

Andre's latest version of what he wanted to be when he grew up was an astronaut. The U.S Space and Rocket Center had been an easy pick as it pleased both her babies. Learning about rocket achievement at _Earth's largest space museum _was going to be a memorable experience for her clan.

They planned to take the three hour trek to Huntsville, Alabama, making the journey a fun road trip, complete with diner food, gas station snack runs and random stops for random picture taking.

Everyone's bags were already packed for the five day trip. Michonne was proactive like that, leaving no room for forgetfulness. She wanted this trip to go off without a hitch, needing to ensure her entire family had a great time. After all, this trip held more significance than she let on. If all went well this holiday she would be sharing some exciting news with the kids.

First, she had to tell Rick, which was on the agenda for later on tonight. As soon as the kids were in bed and she and Rick retired to their room she would find the right time to make Rick the happiest man alive, again.

…**.**

Dinner was full of chatter, even Carl chimed in with a shrug of his shoulders and a 'cool' when they spoke about all the interesting things they were going to see at the museum. She was most happy about living the _life_ for a few days in a four star hotel and spending some time with her husband..

Once the dishes were in the dishwasher, Rick ushered everyone off to bed without having to repeat himself. There was an air of anticipation being felt all around as the vacation countdown had finally trickled down to one more sleep. Michonne was making her rounds of goodnights before she retired for the night. Once upstairs she walked to the end of the corridor and gave two gentle knocks on Carl's door. In no time a headphone wearing Carl opened the door with a smile. He always had a smile for her.

"Hey I'm just saying goodnight. Finished with your packing?" Carl's room wasn't as dirty as she expected. They were still a few odd pieces of clothes on the floor of his room and books were strewn across his study desk, but she didn't mention anything about it. It was important to her that Carl stay a kid for as long as possible. He was already shooting up like a bamboo sprout. He was just past her shoulders, she didn't want to think about him leaving for college or moving out or anything of the sort.

The two of them had a bond by choice, Michonne cherished the closeness of their dynamic because Carl trusted her and in return he made her laugh.

"I think so," he said going to his duffle bag, giving it a final run through. "You did most of it mom. You should know." He gave her one of his light up a room smiles, the one where his eyes came alive and he looked like a mini version of his dad.

"I guess." She leaned against his study desk, "You told Enid you're gonna be away for a while?"

At the mention of his crush's name a warm blush crept up his cheeks. She was fully aware of Operation Enid Hill, he was the one who came to her inquiring on some ways to let a woman know she was beautiful.

"Yeah," he said casting his gaze to the floor

"There's always facetime." She hinted, not wanting to see a frown on her son's face.

"That's true."

"Okay I'm saying goodnight. I'm gonna check on your brother and sister." She stepped forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Night Mom," he said in response.

"Night kiddo." She tugged the handle of his doorknob when Carl called her again.

She turned around again, giving him her undivided attention.

"This vacation was a very cool idea."

"Thanks Carl. I think so too."

….

"And then she helped solved the problem and the space shuttle was launched and-"

"They went to Wakanda." Andre finished Judith's sentence, giving Michonne a champion smile.

"Nuh uh!" Judith complained Giving Andre the well perfected side eye from across the room.

"Ok you two. That's enough, bedtime."

"Because tomorrow is our-," Andre began

"Road trip!" Judith finished.

"Everybody all tucked in?" Rick's deep voice penetrated the kids room as he entered, easily rousing Andre, snatching them from their almost dream like state.

"Daddy! Can I ride shotgun tomorrow?" Judith asked.

"No princess, that's mommy's spot."

Rick took up a spot next to Judith's heavily decorated princess forte.

Michonne adjusted the Spiderman cover around her baby boy. She kissed him on his forehead trying to lull him back to sleep. Rick had a way of exciting the children with even the smallest of distractions. Bedtime had always been a bit of a delay when he was home early from work.

Michonne leaned against the door frame, arms crossed; watching Rick interact with their kids was one of her favorite past times. He was an incredible father, ensuring they all had whatever they needed to function, from a forgotten doll at a playground an hour away, to the right Andre size sheriff's hat for career day.

Rick and Carl were at that stage of the early teenage years where they didn't agree on most things, but as of recent weeks they seemed to be at an impasse. She gathered it was partly because Carl had acquired an admirer of sorts in Enid. Enid was a pretty, level headed fourteen year old recent transplant to Carl's school. The two had been inseparable, even joining them a few nights for dinner.

Carl was growing up right before their eyes and needed the guidance of his father to navigate the world of girls. She was still an arbitrator in most cases, but she saw the relationship between Rick and Carl grow from strength to strength. Judith was always vying for her father's attention, he gave it to her freely and in abundance. Seeing so many unwanted child cases on his job, the notion was something he never wanted his baby girl to lack, and by extension his boys.

Andre was in the mirroring stage; he would mock Rick's stance, the way he spoke, even the way he walked.

It was always a funny sight to see her little boy in action; Andre would throw in an extra bend at the knee to capture his father's unique, bow legged gait, leaving her in stitches.

It was said that imitation was the highest form of flattery; Andre certainly flattered his proud father.

Observing it was well after eight o' clock Michonne decided to break up the prolonged nighttime routine, needing all her munchkins well rested by the morning, by extension her husband too.

"Ok guys, say goodnight to daddy. We have an early start in the morning."

She switched on the night lights and dragged Rick away from the kids.

"Night Daddy!" They chorused.

It was time for the adults to go to bed too.

…**.**

"What do you think?* Michonne sashayed in front of Rick, throwing an extra sway in her hip, hoping her handsome husband could help her decide on the best pool wear. Fresh from the shower Rick wore his red boxers and a white t shirt, only he was buried in his phone, typing away at something.

"Babe?" she prodded, placing her hands on his hips.

"Yeah," he said, feeling at fault for not giving his bikini wearing wife all of his attention. "You're wearing that to the pool?"

Michonne's breasts looked swollen, adding an extra boost to her already decadent cleavage. Her small waist was alluring, giving way to the gentle widening of her jaw dropping hips. Her sexiness was familiar to him, yet felt new and enlightening. He'd been away from her for too long. His last week at work he'd been swamped at the station trying to wrap everything up, making sure there was no baggage attached to his vacation. He wanted that for himself, he wanted it for Michonne.

He saw how she picked up the slack his absence left behind. She deserved the break as much as he did. He also noticed it had become increasingly difficult for her to get out of bed for the past two weeks, her appetite was slacker than it had been in a long time. She dropped into bed long before him most nights. In essence she was tired, he wanted her to rest as much as he wanted her to have fun on their trip.

"Uh huh. You don't approve?"

"Did your bikini shrink?" He didn't approve of the way her breasts were spilling out of the bright red bikini cups.

A grin plastered on Michonne's face at Rick's blundered observation. The atmosphere was ripe for her big news, if she could only get his phone out of his hand.

"How about," she straddled him on the bed. "We put this away." She took his phone, tilting the screen towards her. "Tell Daryl your wife said it's vacation time." She threw Rick's Samsung across the bed, arresting him with a determined stare.

"I'm sorry babe. Just ironing out some minor details." He caressed her arms, dropping a kiss on her shoulder.

"Daryl is more than capable Rick." She had seen for herself the transformation in Daryl Dixon within the past few years as Rick's deputy.

She wasn't surprised in Rick's vested interest; the safety of King County was always a priority for Rick. She was in no way surprised that the burden of its protection lay heavily on his shoulders. It was one of the things that made him such a great leader.

Everybody looked to him even before his promotion, he was never one to need the hierarchical position to feel empowered to function at his job. It was his innate ability to lead, to protect and to serve that made people follow Rick Grimes, blindly if they had to.

"I know he is. You're right. I'm all yours," Rick said, knowing he wasn't just talking about the moment, but for their Grimes Family vacation and forever too.

"Good. So about the bikini?"

Rick shook his head, in disagreement with him getting arrested if anyone dare to look at Michonne in her teeny weeny, red bikini.

"You look beautiful, but go try on another one."

Michonne laughed at Rick's territorial tone. She knew exactly what he was thinking. She adjusted her position, she was trying to leave his lap when he caught her wrist in a gentle tug. "I want this to be the best vacation ever. For you. For us. For the kids."

"Oh it's gonna be." She was privileged to know something that Rick didn't.

"I have so much planned for us! I'm so excited." Michonne's face lit up with anticipation, capturing Rick up in her excitement. He really scored the day they promised each other forever.

"How'd I get so lucky finding you?" The sentence came out in a whisper, as though he was asking the universe a question he knew there was no answer to.

"We deserve this Rick."

"Forget the bathing suit parade." He patted the vacant spot on the bed. "Come to bed, let me show you how grateful I am." His smirk was inviting, but she had a mission in mind.

"Let's put a pin in that. I really want your opinion. Plus I have something really important to tell you."

"Fine. Let's get this fashion show on the road." He conceded defeat, content for now with watching her sexy strut to their en suite bathroom.

Michonne took a few minutes deciding on which bathing suit to wear for Rick next. She was also contemplating various ways she could let Rick know things in their lives were about to drastically change.

By the time she returned to their room she was annoyed, but not surprised to see Rick snoring away on his side of the bed.

"Some start to this vacation Grimes," she said to no one.

Grimes Family Vacation was going to commence in less than eight hours, she hoped she got a window to tell Rick her news before all the fun began.

She kissed Rick on his cheek, feeling tiredness seeping into her body too. Switching off the lamp beside their bed, she smiled thinking of the memories she was about to make with her family on this vacation.


	2. Chapter 2

All the bags are packed and the car's gassed up. The sweet **cranesinthesky** brings us chapter 2 of this road trip, and the Grimes family have actually hit the road. With a car full of kids, let's see how everyone copes in such tight quarters for a few hours ride. Hopefully it's all smiles and cheers and no threats from Rick to turn the car around.

Be sure to check out her other works on her FF page.

**-We're The Ones Who Write**

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

The alarm shrieked loudly at exactly seven a.m. on the dot, interrupting both Rick and Michonne's blissful slumber. Rick groaned as he reached over to turn it off and then wiped at his eyes. He glanced over at his wife beside him, her eyes closed as she tried to gain just a few more minutes of sleep.

"Five more minutes," she whispered to him, feeling his beautiful blue eyes on her.

He moved in closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. She sighed contently as she laid her head on his chest. His arms were her favorite place to sleep.

"You do know what today is, right?" he said, his voice still thick with sleep.

"Hmm," she hummed, a smile creeping onto her face. "We leave for the Grimes Family Vacation."

"That's right. Which means that we should really get up and get the kids ready," Rick said, his fingers moving through his wife's locs. "You know it will take them all morning to get ready."

"Not on my watch." She lifted her head to face him. "I have them on a schedule."

"A schedule?" Rick asked, his eyebrows raised. Though he wasn't really surprised; his wife was a planner and making up a schedule for the kids in order to get everyone out of the house in a timely fashion was right up her alley.

"So we won't have to hear any arguments about who gets the bathroom first or risk being late leaving the house," she explained. "This is our vacation, Rick. We've been waiting for this for a while."

"I know," he cupped her cheek and she lovingly settled into his strong hand. "We're going to have fun and we're going to get out of the house on time. Don't worry."

He glanced over at the clock. It was only 7:10. "What time does your schedule start?"

"7:30."

"Technically, the fun can start right now," he said slowly and suggestively, his eyes dark with lust. "The kids aren't up yet. We have some time to start some fun on our own."

He began to place a trail of kisses down her stomach, smiling to himself when he heard her giggling beneath him. Her fingers ran through his curls, the alluring motion causing shivers to run down his spine.

"No, no, no," she said, still unable to contain her laughter. He came back up for air and hovered over top of her, the pout on his face almost enough to make her reconsider her decision. "As much as I would like to, we really should start getting ready soon if we want to get there early. It's a three hour drive."

"Exactly, it's _only_ a three hour drive," Rick countered back lightly. "I can turn on the police sirens and have us there in two."

She laughed, her fingers still in his hair. "I don't think that's the best idea. I promise I'll make it up to you in Huntsville. All night long."

He sighed and moved to lay on his side, his ego and libido defeated. "I'm glad we got a suite to ourselves because I'm going to make sure you keep that promise."

She winked at him. "When have I ever failed you?"

He shook his head as he watched her get out of bed, her naked body glorious and calling out for him. "Never."

He watched as she waltzed to their walk in closet, his eyes sweeping down every feature of her body. After five years of marriage and many love making sessions with her, he knew every curve like the back of his hand. He noticed how full she had gotten, mostly around her stomach and her breasts, but didn't dare to say anything about it. Usually around a certain time of the month, her body tended to fill out more anyway.

"Rick?" she said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hm?" he said, snapping back into reality. "I'm sorry, babe. What did you say?"

"I said I had something important to tell you," she said, wrapping her silk robe around her. She made her way back over to the bed and sat beside him.

Rick reached out to place a hand on her thigh. He searched her face for anything concerning, but was only able to find giddiness with a slight nervousness. "What is it?"

She opened her mouth but was immediately cut off by their bedroom door swinging open. Andre and Judith came running in and jumped on the bed, excitement filling their voices and their adrenaline.

"Grimes family vacation!" they shouted.

"Daddy, get up so we can go see Wakanda!" Judith exclaimed, pulling her father's hand with all of her might. "I don't want to miss it."

"Mom said I had to ask you if I can bring my slingshot," Andre said, the toy in his hand. He carried it around nearly everywhere he went. "Can I, please?"

Michonne laughed as Rick looked slightly overwhelmed by all of the early morning excitement.

"Yes, you can take the slingshot," he told Andre, chuckling as the young boy lifted his fist in a cheer. "And we will leave as soon as everybody is ready," he told Judith.

He glanced over at Michonne. "Better get that schedule out."

She was already on her way out of the door. "On it now!"

I-I-I-I

Two hours later, the Grimes family were out of the door and on the road to Alabama… and two hours later, Michonne still had not had a chance to tell Rick the exciting news.

The alone time they had that morning had been perfect and she was so close to telling him. After that, their time became more chaotic and hectic as they worked to make sure all bags were packed and all kids were situated before leaving the house.

She couldn't tell him now. Not with him driving and the kids in the backseat. She glanced around to see Andre and Judith reading a book and Judith playing with her Shuri doll in the middle seat. Carl was all the way in the backseat listening to his music through those trusty headphones and scrolling through his phone, the teenage.

Her gaze strayed back to Rick in the driver's seat. He had one hand on the wheel, the other hand tapping against his knee to the beat of the country song playing softly on the radio. She bit her lip at the sight of his lean, hard body and she practically shivered at the thought of him moving over top of her each night. It was no wonder she was pregnant now.

Her hand immediately went to her stomach, her fingers grazing over the barely there bump. When she and Rick first had gotten married, adding more kids to their already blended family had always been in the deal. But, when it didn't happen as fast as they wanted it to, they agreed to maybe seek professional help to help them conceive. Life had gotten in the way and they never did go, but it turns out they didn't need it.

She was pregnant and she couldn't wait to share the news. The only issue was _when_ she would share it?

Rick felt her eyes on him and looked over at her. He smiled as he reached out and placed his hand on her knee. He gave a quick squeeze, but kept his hand there, relishing in just the contact with her

She covered his hand with hers, smiling back at him. It was the simple things like this she enjoyed. She loved this man with everything in her, the life that they made inside of her just an example of that.

"You ready for this?" he asked in that southern drawl she loved so much. She knew he wasn't talking about the baby but it sure felt like it.

"More than ever," she replied, bringing his fingers to her lips for a kiss.

"Save some of that loving for tonight," he said in a low voice, a smirk on his face.

"There's plenty where that came from," she winked. "Don't you worry."

"Daddy, can you please play Bruno Mars?" Judith said, leaning forward and poking her head between her parents' seats.

"I will once you sit back," he said, looking at her through the rearview mirror with a serious look. The look was quickly broken as Rick could never say no to his baby girl.

Carl groaned from the back seat. "Not again! We listen to that same song every day on the way to school."

"Carl, you know you love it," Michonne laughed as she tapped on her cell to open her spotify account.

She could see Carl shake his head and try to hide the smile that was creeping onto his face. "It's alright," he muttered.

The lively song started playing and Michonne reached over to turn up the volume, Bruno's upbeat lyrics causing everyone to break out singing. Michonne could swear she saw Carl's mouth moving along as well.

Rick's hand was still in hers as she felt his squeeze her again. "Good start so far?" he asked.

She winked. "The best," she answered as the the SUV crossed over the Alabama state line.


	3. Chapter 3

Bringing this heart warming story to a close is the multi talented **thematsaidwelcome**. She's one of the fandom's most prolific writers. She gives us the family fluff we all crave when it comes to Grimes 2.0. We appreciate the way she maneuvers the inner workings of this awesome family. We know the conclusion to The Grimes Family Vacation will not disappoint. Was the trip a success? How did Rick take Michonne's big news?

Be sure to check out her other works on her FF page.

**-We're The Ones Who Write**

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

"Finally. I thought we'd never get here." Carl groaned as he stepped out of the car and stretched his ever growing lean body. The drive had only been a few hours, but after the fourth rendition of Bruno Mars, Carl tried desperately to drown out the out of tune crooning of his family by cranking up the volume on his headphones and started multitasking by counting road signs and playing all the games that were on his phone, even resorting to a hand of Solitary just to pass the time.

"Me either," Michonne agreed. "I gotta pee," she lifted her hands in the air and bent her body from side to side. Rick took the moment to peek at her belly as her mustard colored shirt rose a bit, always the observant one, he wouldn't let the opportunity pass without getting an eyeful of the smooth brown skin he was kissing that morning. He sighed and cursed the schedule she so dutifully kept, then looked over at Judith and Andre who were mirroring her stretches. Their hands to the sky and fingers reaching for the clouds, they giggled when they saw Rick's eyes on them.

"Well, we're here now, so you can go, even though you just went an hour ago. I'm sure the mime twins need to go too." He motioned with his head to the two youngest and Michonne understood the nickname. "Carl and I can take care of the bags."

"Okay, but first let's take another picture."

"Another one? How is your camera roll not full yet?" Carl, whined, walking to the other side of the car to stand next to her. After the tenth or was it the fifteenth _Grimesie_ as Michonne called them, he refused to smile complaining that his cheeks hurt.

"I cleared it yesterday, so I've got plenty of room," She fashioned her phone to her selfie stick, then angled it so everyone's face was in the shot. "Say astronaut!"

"The bed by the window's mine," Carl claimed his bed before the door shut. "What?" He asked as Rick looked at him with a slight head tilt. "I'm not sharing a bed with either of them."

"No one asked you to." Michonne chimed in. "Andre and Judith, you two get this one. No jumping on the bed all night long." She winked at Carl, who knew she had planted that thought into the two rambunctious youngsters heads on purpose. "Daddy and I will be right next door. We'll be able to hear everything." Judith and Andre groaned, their late night mattress hopping foiled by an adjoining room.

"Does that mean we can hear everything too?" Carl asked, disgusted that he even had to.

"Sleep with your headphones on." Rick answered. They were finally on vacation and not having to be quiet was their reward. He laughed when he heard Carl mutter _gross_ under his breath as Michonne unlocked the connecting door to the kids room, before leaving to go to her and Rick's room.

"Daddy, what are we doing first?"

"We'll have to check the agenda Judith. Mom's got us on a crazy tight schedule."

"I heard that," Michonne said, opening the adjoined door. "And you're right." Judith, Carl and Andre squeezed past her to get a look at their parents room. It was just as nice as theirs with a single king sized bed and a small sitting area off in the corner. "We have an hour and a half to get to the Space Center."

"Look at the pool. Can we go swimming?" Andre asked, the cool blue of the water enticing him on the increasingly warm day. Judith came to stand next to him and they both pressed their faces to the window.

"It's on the agenda. But not until after we go to the Space Center and eat lunch."

"Let's go!" Judith shouted, the pool now on the forefront of her mind.

"Let's unpack and freshen up first." Michonne said to the retreating kids as they made their way back to their room. "Change our clothes and…"

"Wiggle our toes!" Andre added before she could finish.

"Wow, look at that one!" Judith pointed to the huge rocket ship that they were walking towards. "Can we get in it?" Judith had asked the same question about every one that they'd past in the museum and was equally disappointed every time someone told her no.

"No, we can only look at this one too. It's huge." Michonne said as she looked at the metal placard that gave facts about it.

"You've said that about all of them," Carl said, trying to hide his awe at the massive space rocket.

"I bet it's not as big as the one they fly to Wakanda. I wonder where that one is?" Judith looked around trying to catch a glimpse of the tech savvy aircraft.

"We can ask the workers." Andre said, hoping to get a peak at it himself.

"They're probably hiding it?" Judith looked at the docents that walked the floor, skeptical that they would tell her the truth about the secretive nation and it's means of transport.

"It's invisible, Judith. I bet we already passed it." Carl tried to reassure his sister, who had talked non stop about Wakanda for a month. He could see her disappointment.

"That's probably it." Michonne said. "Shuri, doesn't want everyone seeing it right now."

"Is she here?" Judith looked around, excited to see the teenage genius in the flesh. Michonne tried to think of a way to let her down easy, but came up with nothing. She was happy to hear Rick speak up when she couldn't.

"Come on, the G-Force Accelerator is this way," he motioned with his head towards the glass double doors. "We gotta go outside," Rick hoped to redirect Judith's energy to something that would actually happen. Having been at the museum for an hour looking at all the space memorabilia, it was time to head outside to the simulators and Rocket Park. They all walked towards the doors, the hot air of the day, greeting them as they stepped out. "There's an odd number of us, so someone has to go by themselves, or someone has to go twice.

"Oh, I'm not going." Michonne had already read the restrictions for the simulator and she wasn't allowed to ride.

"You sure? It's supposed to be fun." Rick tried to change her mind. He didn't want her to miss it, plus he wanted to watch her to see how she took the G-Forces. "Won't be the same without you."

"Yeah, y'all go ahead." She brushed it off with a wide grin so Rick wouldn't worry, she hoped he didn't remember her talking about how excited she was a few weeks ago; before she found out. "I'll be waiting over there when you get done," she pointed to a metal picnic table shaded by tall trees. "Take pictures Carl."

"Ugh...three's my limit."

"Three's perfect," she started to rifle through the oversized bag she was carrying. "You want the selfie stick?"

"Uh, no. I don't think they're allowed in there anyways." He was positive that they'd taken a picture in front of everything that had touched space that was in that building, and he really had no desire to cheese in front of the camera anymore.

"Fine. Y'all have fun." She watched them pair off, Andre with Carl and Judith with Rick who looked back at the picnic table as they got in line to see Michonne sit on the bench while trying to stifle a yawn. She waved and started looking through the brochure that was next to her. He hoped she scheduled a nap because she told him she was gonna make up for this morning and he planned to hold her to it.

"Cannonball!"

"Andre, stop doing that!" Michonne tried to tell him, but he was already on his way down, knees up and arms wrapped around them. He hit the water, went under and then shot straight up, his life vest keeping him from staying below the surface for too long. She wiped the water off her belly that had landed there from the splash.

"You wouldn't have to do that if you would just wear a sensible one piece." The white two piece was tantalizingly tiny in Rick's opinion. "I don't know why you have to wear a bikini.

"Because, I look good in them." He couldn't argue with that. She looked so good that he was checking his watch every few minutes willing the hands to point to bed time so he and his hot wife could be alone. "I only packed bikinis Rick. I don't see what the problem is anyways." Michonne stood up from the vinyl lounge chair to grab the multi colored beach ball that had bounced onto the pool deck. She bent to get it and Rick saw two very big problems, he wasn't counting her ass, that couldn't be helped but if the men who were ogling his wife behind dark sunglasses thought they were hiding their stares at all they were wrong and he'd love to see them try with them swollen shut. "You don't hear me saying anything about you with all this out." She made a circle with her hand over his bare chest, and chuckled when he blushed.

"No one's looking at me Michonne."

"They better not." She tossed the ball back into the pool and watched Judith paddle towards it. "You getting in?" Rick took another glance at the men gawking at his wife and stood up, wrapping his arms around her and kissed her on the lips. If they were going to look, he might as well give them something to look at.

"I love this vacation," Rick whispered into Michonne's neck between kisses. She smiled and knew he wasn't talking about the three hour drive up or the Space Center and all the rockets. After the simulators, Andre and Judith played until their hearts were content with lunar landing and and game walls. Rick even talked Carl into rock climbing the Mars wall which was meant to be like walking on Mars. Michonne held her breath the entire time they were climbing up and didn't let it out until their feet were safely securely back on the ground. Back at the hotel, the pool was fun and was just what the kids needed to get them to the exhausted stage before dinner after the day they'd had.

The restaurant was great too, with all of them dressing up to appease Michonne, because after all, it was on the agenda. She made sure everyone ordered something different, so she could "sample" from their meals. When it was time for dessert, Rick was surprised that she had room for the chocolate peanut butter pie with Oreo crust and even more surprised that she shared the tiniest bite with him. A game of Trouble and a boring movie was the push that had all three of the kids snoring before the ending credits rolled. Rick and Michonne tucked everyone in and Carl made sure his headphones were just right on his ears before they left to retreat to their own room. It had been a great day, but when he said he loved this vacation, she knew he was talking about what they had just finished doing.

As soon as the door closed to the kids room, Rick was peeling her clothes off. As keyed up as he'd been all day she was surprised and a bit frustrated that he was taking his time getting her naked. She was up against the wall wearing nothing but her wedding ring and a smile, and Rick took in every sunkissed inch of her with his eyes and then with his tongue which was why they were both in the bed sated and sweaty at that very moment.

"It's been the best," she agreed quietly as Rick rolled off of her to Michonne's disappointment. He pulled her into him, placing her leg on top of his and kissed her forehead.

"How many times is that on the agenda?" Michonne wasn't a bit surprised that he was already thinking about the next time. Rick was the definition of insatiable when it came to being anywhere in the vicinity of his wife.

"I just left the whole night open...and tomorrow morning."

"That's good to know," he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, grinning against her mouth. "That bikini was almost too much for me and I'm sure you knew exactly what you were doing." She played innocent, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

" I wasn't doing anything. Swimming, soaking up some sun."

"Oh you were doing a lot more than that. Torture would be the right word for it."

"I was hoping you'd notice."

"How could I not? You look gorgeous in it... although the top might be a bit too small." Michonne moved to lay on her back and smiled shyly, Rick had just given her the perfect opening to make her announcement.

"Or maybe they're just bigger," She held her hands above her breasts and looked for Rick's reaction. He studied them for a bit and then nodded his head.

"Maybe a little," he shrugged his shoulders and tried to remember if they felt differently in his hands. "Aren't you past the growing stage though?"

"That happens…" she took a deep breath and searched for his eyes before she finished. "When you're pregnant." Rick heard the word, and started to nod his head before realization dawned on him of what she just said. He sat up and looked down at her. Her body still naked, nothing keeping him from examining her for anymore changes.

"Pregnant?"

"Yeah. I tried to tell you this morning, but we got interrupted." She watched him take deep breaths as his lack of words filled the room. She was worried about his silence and the far away look in his eyes. She ran the results of his last physical through her mind, but couldn't recall if a bad heart was listed on his test results paper. "Rick, are you gonna say something?"

"I knew it," He smiled widely.

"How? I haven't had any morning sickness and I certainly don't look it."

"No, but it all makes sense now." He thought about the signs that he'd missed earlier, but were all coming in clear now. "The 300 stops to the bathroom."

"It wasn't 300."

"295," He adjusted. "You've been yawning all day. Trying to hide it, and doing a very bad job of it. These." he waved his hand over her breasts. "You even finished my dinner...and Carl's."

"Waste not, want not." Michonne had to laugh at herself at how horrible she had been at trying to hide to hide the fact that she was pregnant. "We're gonna have a baby Rick."

"A baby," he placed his hand on her belly, still flat, but he could swear, just a bit warmer. "A baby that's a little bit of me and hopefully a lot more of you."

"Are you…?" she was nervous about how he felt. She wanted him to be happy, ecstatic, overjoyed. All the things that she was, less the nervousness.

"Are you kidding? I don't even know where to begin to tell you how happy I am right now." His thumb made lazy circles around her belly button as he thought of a way to ease her mind. "You remember that galaxy that we read about at the Space Center? The one that's 13.3 billion light years away?" Michonne nodded her head yes. "Well I guess if I were to break that down into milliseconds, it still wouldn't measure how much I love you and how excited I am for this baby," He looked to the door that separated the two rooms. "For our family."

"We're gonna have a baby." Michonne said again.

"Yes we are," he peppered kisses on her belly making her giggle. "A little boy or a little girl." She sighed and pictured Rick with a small swaddled baby in his arms. She started to tear up and wished she could blame it on hormones, but the reality was, Rick was a great husband and an even better dad, and she couldn't wait to meet their baby.

"I think it'll be a boy. We'll can call him RJ."


End file.
